STOP AND THINK
By: Aditi Kumar
Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course. We would be ecstatic, joyous, made thrilled by the glory of God. Instead, the stars come out every night and we watch television. Similarly we don’t appreciate the beautiful earth that we are a part of. We ignore the dotted silver threads of rain, the chirping birds and the broad sun kissed valleys. This planet came with a set of instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like don’t poison the water, soil, or air, don’t let the earth get overcrowded, and don’t touch the thermostat have been broken.
To all of those who believe that we are humans are a superior being who has been gifted with the permission to use and exploit the earth, I would like to warn you: our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by the fact that our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
Khalil Gibran once wrote in his poem sand and foam “Seven times I despised my soul…..”
Today I write:
Seven times I despised my soul:
The first time when I saw her being meek against the powerful wounding the trees.
The second time when I saw her giving excuses to stop from doing what was right.
The third time when she was given to choose between the hard and the easy, and she chose the easy.
The fourth time when she exploited Mother Nature, and comforted herself that others also exploit the earth.
The fifth time when trees fell and she chose to do nothing, and attributed her patience to strength.
The sixth time when she despised the actions of others, and knew not that it was one of her own masks.
And the seventh time when she sang the song of earth and knew not that it was hypocrisy.
I am ashamed of what we have become. We all ought to detest ourselves for our behavior and high handed attitude that we have. But today is a new day, a new day to start afresh, anew to choose, not between what is right and wrong, for all of us would choose what is right, but between what is right and easy. So far we have stood in silence as the others have exploited and hurt mother earth. We must remember the world suffers a lot not because of the violence of bad people but because of the silence of good people. Today we have to choose the right way and remember: forget that this task of planet-saving is not possible in the time required. Don’t be put off by people who know what is not possible. Do what needs to be done, and check to see if it was impossible only after you are done.
By: Aditi Kumar
Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course. We would be ecstatic, joyous, made thrilled by the glory of God. Instead, the stars come out every night and we watch television. Similarly we don’t appreciate the beautiful earth that we are a part of. We ignore the dotted silver threads of rain, the chirping birds and the broad sun kissed valleys. This planet came with a set of instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like don’t poison the water, soil, or air, don’t let the earth get overcrowded, and don’t touch the thermostat have been broken.
To all of those who believe that we are humans are a superior being who has been gifted with the permission to use and exploit the earth, I would like to warn you: our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by the fact that our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
Khalil Gibran once wrote in his poem sand and foam “Seven times I despised my soul…..”
Today I write:
Seven times I despised my soul:
The first time when I saw her being meek against the powerful wounding the trees.
The second time when I saw her giving excuses to stop from doing what was right.
The third time when she was given to choose between the hard and the easy, and she chose the easy.
The fourth time when she exploited Mother Nature, and comforted herself that others also exploit the earth.
The fifth time when trees fell and she chose to do nothing, and attributed her patience to strength.
The sixth time when she despised the actions of others, and knew not that it was one of her own masks.
And the seventh time when she sang the song of earth and knew not that it was hypocrisy.
I am ashamed of what we have become. We all ought to detest ourselves for our behavior and high handed attitude that we have. But today is a new day, a new day to start afresh, anew to choose, not between what is right and wrong, for all of us would choose what is right, but between what is right and easy. So far we have stood in silence as the others have exploited and hurt mother earth. We must remember the world suffers a lot not because of the violence of bad people but because of the silence of good people. Today we have to choose the right way and remember: forget that this task of planet-saving is not possible in the time required. Don’t be put off by people who know what is not possible. Do what needs to be done, and check to see if it was impossible only after you are done.
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